Memories
by SpiritLullaby
Summary: Masamune x OC. 10 years since their "union", Mego-Hime recalls her past shared with Date Masamune - her husband. Rating may change depending on how far I go with this.
1. Chapter 1

(First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who enjoyed my first piece involving these two. I'm glad there are people out there who also enjoy seeing Masamune with his wife. So, without further ado, I give you another one. Enjoy!)

_**Bold Italics **_mean the characters are saying English/Engrish words.

Flashbacks are written in 3rd person. The rest is in Mego's POV, _Italics_ are her thoughts.

* * *

"Mego, do you remember how we met?"

"How could I not? I treasure such a memory, Masamune."

The sun had begun to set in the summer sky as I, Mego-hime, sat with the Lord of Oshu, Date Masamune; My husband of now ten whole years. The sound of crickets could be easily heard, many of Oshu's citizens were busily preparing dinner for their families, and some were loyal soldiers of the Date.

I quietly poured him a cup of sake, handed it over for him to take, then proceeded to pour some for myself – a social taboo for a woman of high born blood yes, but the Date were never the type to stick to old timely traditions, its how we rolled.

I watched him take a large sip of the liquid; I followed with my much smaller sip. The bitter yet warm taste of the alcohol slithered down my throat, my body cringed slightly at the feeling and taste. I could hear him chuckle at my reaction. I turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm not a drinker like you. Or a smoker for that matter _**darling**_." I teasingly replied, a smile already forming on my lips.

He returned it with a smirk, a hand already reaching out to touch my hair, some of the blackened strands already floating onto his fingertips without the wind's aid.

I let my eyes wander over to him as he focused on my hair, now somewhat entranced with how to it moved on its own.

_I have you to thank, my dearest..._

My mind slipped further into my memories, now recalling our destined encounter with one another...

* * *

_Miharu Castle, Mutsu, 1554_

Date Terumune sat in the middle of the grand hall with his eldest son, Masamune who was only the young age of thirteen. He glanced down at his son, wearing a smile filled with pride and immense approval.

"No need to be nervous, my son." He said in an attempt to reassure the boy.

Masamune quickly stuck his nose in the air with enough confidence to strengthen an army.

"Hmph! Who says I'm nervous? It's only a girl!" he spat back, crossing his arms as he impatiently waited for the 'girl' to arrive. His arrogant nature soon turned to slight intimidation as two figures entered the room, seating themselves opposite to where he and his father sat.

"Tamura Kiyoaki, I, Date Terumune humbly ask for your attention." The elder man said, bowing his head to the floor, ushering his fidgety son to follow suit.

The man named Kiyoaki smirked amusedly, bowing his head in return as his daughter followed with silent obedience. This caused Masamune to look up at her, the young Princess of the North. She looked back at him through her mask as she remained low to the ground.

Masamune studied the mask on the girl's face, something about it unnerved him. A snow white face with blood-red eyes entangled in twisted vines was what he saw. He knew the face before him was simply a porcelain one, not a fleshy girl's face. As eerie as this masked face was, he could not keep his eye off her. Something about her caught his attention.

Both boy and girl were forced to sit upright as Kiyoaki coughed to get their attention. Terumune silently chuckled at his son; Kiyoaki looked at his daughter with little amusement.

"Good of you to come, Lord Date and Young Master Date. May I present to you my only daughter Mego-Hime." Kiyoaki said, his right hand briskly moving toward his daughter as if he was presenting a rare doll.

"Welcome Lord Date and Young Master Date. I am honoured to be in the same room as you." Mego's muffled voice said through the mask and bowed her head. It was high-pitched, yet restrained from proper etiquette.

"Greetings Little Princess, we are delighted that we could have an audience with you. This is my son, Botenmaru." Terumune said, his politeness never wavered but still carried its friendly nature.

"Feh!" was all the little One-Eyed Dragon said as he turned to look towards the window. He dreamed only of being outside, possibly causing mischief with his cousin Shigezane.

Kiyoaki raised his eyebrow in disapproval; Mego covered her where her mouth would be to further muffle her giggling.

* * *

"_**Something on your mind?**_" Masamune's voice snapped me back into reality as I jolted and looked over.

"Hmm? Oh, forgive me Masamune. My mind wandered off." I replied, a faint blush forming on my face no doubt.

_I should look at something else, or think of a new topic. _

_Haha, I'm so strange... _

He rested himself on the floor, propping his head on his right hand as he looked up at me. His trademark smirk still remained on his face – he knew that was what would always weaken me further, the cheater.

I strained myself to look elsewhere, my blushing worsening as I kept looking back at his rather provocative behaviour.

"_**M-Must you?**_" I asked in broken English, my flustering self only made him chuckle.

"You haven't changed." He said, his free hand resting itself on my lap. The instant warmth from his hand transferred onto my bare leg – will I ever stop blushing?

_I was always so shy around him..._

_

* * *

_

_Oshu, 1555_

_The marriage alliance between the Date and Tamura ended in a bitter argument. Kiyoaki insisted that the Tamura would take over, Terumune wanted no part of it now knowing the Tamura's true intentions..._

"This way!" Mego said as she waved her right hand to beckon Masamune, her left hand held onto her mask as she waited for him.

During the brief, but harmonious unity of the Date and the Tamura, the Little One-Eyed Dragon and the Little Princess of the North had grown close with one another. But things had come to an abrupt end for them as Kiyoaki became more corrupted. Demons were showing up everywhere in the Northern part of Mutsu, even rumours of Kiyoaki forcing his own daughter into becoming a demon circulated the province.

Still, boy and girl remained together despite that they had to meet half-way, even if it was only once a month to see each other. To them, it was well worth the wait.

"Mego!" Masamune yelled out to her, "Where are you taking me?" he forced himself to follow her, despite that he was dead tired and she was wide awake.

Mego stopped and turned to face him, "A secret place of mine. No one knows...Well, you will. But just you and I." She said a small giggle could be heard from the young girl as she skipped ahead.

The young boy followed after her, not exactly sure where she was taking him. He was about to call out for her again when he stopped in his tracks.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Mego asked and sighed blissfully at the scenery before them. Ruins of what seemed to be an old village littered all over the place, a river flowed not too far from the location. Some buildings remained intact, while others were rotting away and giving into nature's hands.

Slowly, Masamune walked over to Mego, looking around as he did and careful he didn't disturb any possible "spirits".

"This place..." he began, his white-blue eye looking around at the buildings, the natural look of it all, and burned the image into his mind. Promising to himself that he would remember this place forever.

"I come here when I want to be alone, and when I can." She said, walking about the empty ruins and danced about the trees like an otherworldly being. "It used to be a village, but unknown causes made it this way..." she stopped, resting her hand on the wall of what used to be a mansion.

"Unknown causes...?" the young One-eyed Dragon asked, following after her again only stopping for a few seconds to look at some of the houses.

"Father said it was a flood, but..." Mego turned her masked face towards Masamune, her hair moving about in slow motion.

There was no wind that day.

He watched as her hair continued to dance about, only a few strands remained in the air. Was it a trick?

"But...?" he asked, eager to know what may be the truth.

"Demons have been around here. Father has become so different, so cruel." Mego said her voice now carrying hints of pain. She reached up to grab her hair, trying to prevent it from moving. Her hands wandered over to her mask, shaking as they touched the cold porcelain.

"Mego...?" he reached out to her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"H-Harinago..."

"What? Hari-what?"

"Harinago. Hair demon. That's what I am..."

All Masamune could feel was pain. Her pain. The pain of a caged princess, longing to be free.

"Treasure." He whispered, bowing his head to the ground.

"Treasure?" Mego tilted her head to one side in confusion.

"Dragons have Treasure," he began, now resting both hands on her shoulders, "You are not a demon. You are my Treasure, _**you see**_?" he looked at her with a stern expression.

All Mego could do was giggle at the sudden change of language mixed with his childlike face wearing an expression fitted for adults.

"What?" he said now embarrassed and annoyed with her.

"Forgive me, Botenmaru. But I'm afraid I found that to be adorable..." she replied between giggles, her hands rested on where her mouth would be.

He crossed his arms and looked away, attempting to focus his attention on something else. Anything to rid of his blushing.

Noticing that her statement bothered him, Mego lowered her head in shame. Any minute now and she'd be receiving bitter words from her father. He didn't even have to be there with her, his words remained within her mind.

Looking back, he noticed that she had grown quiet. Sighing, he a hand underneath her chin and lifted her head up so she would face him again.

"I want to see your face. Your true face." He said, turning his body to face hers. She tensed at his suggestion, her hands touching her face as if she was guarding it from evil.

"Y-you can't. I'm...Ugly." she said turning herself away from him. "Father said so. All demons are ugly, females are the ugliest." She whimpered, her body shaking as she began to cry.

"M-Mego! Don't cry...!" he stammered now at a loss for words to comfort the crying girl before him. He shoved his right hand through his hair, his fingers touching the leather strap of his eye patch.

Then it hit him.

He looked back at her, resting both hands on her shoulders as he pulled her close which stopped her crying.

"I have a mask too..." he whispered, still holding onto her.

"Your...Eye patch...?"

He nodded. She nodded.

Mego pulled away, putting her hands on the edge of the mask. Masamune pulled away as well, one hand holding onto the clasp that held the two straps together on the eye patch.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready...But you have to promise me that you won't laugh..." she said.

"Promise."

The only sound that filled the air was birdsong in the distance and the water flow from the river. Silence surrounded the two as they revealed their faces to one another.

Faces only a selective few had ever seen.

Her face was pale from being covered; her eyes were doe-like and were the colour of red – demon's eyes. Her features were childlike; had yet to mature, yet carried a supernatural beauty about them. Her black hair framed her oval-shaped face as she looked up at him with a worried gaze.

All the young dragon could do was stare at her face. Not in horrified shock, not in a blank stare, but in a transfixed way. She waited for his response, afraid of the outcome.

"You're..." he said, reaching out to touch her face. Her skin was cold, yet soft. He could feel the otherworldly presence as he kept his hand there.

"I-I'm...?" she asked, her eyes widening in fear.

* * *

"..._**Beautiful**_."

I jolted again. Looking over at Masamune as he stood up, I watched as he reached out to offer his hand to me. I took it and stood up beside him.

_I need to stop spacing out like that, it's becoming worrisome. _

"What's beautiful, _**darling**_?" I asked and moved closer to him. I rested my head just underneath his chin and could feel his arm snake around my waist.

He looked down at me, his left eye staring into mine as a gentler smile formed.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, pulling me closer. I knew exactly what he was getting at.

I looked away as my usual blush formed, my eyes focused on the garden outside.

"Ch-Charming me isn't going to get you anywhere, Masamune." I said, my voice stuttering as I tried to be difficult. I turned myself away from him, running my hand down his chest as I slowly pulled away.

_Knowing me, I'll slip up on trying to be a tease too...I'm not so good at being a temptress..._

I could hear him follow after me, his arms wrap around my waist to stop me from walking further from him. This prompted me to look up at him, my blush still very present on my face.

"Who said you could walk away?" he said as a grin formed on his face, I forced myself to look away.

"Now now, _**Dragon**_... I'm not going to leave you for anyone else." I replied then looked back at him with a smirk. I rested a hand on the collar of his kimono, my fingers playfully tugging at them as if I was trying to undo them. He smirked as his hands travelled further from my waist.

_Feeble attempt at trying to make him feel uncomfortable, but can't kill a girl for trying..._

"_**That so?**_" he said while pulling me closer to him, I was now trapped in the arms of my husband. "Seems I've recaptured my _**Treasure**_." He added and lowered his face closer to mine.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

Sorry about cutting it off the way I did. I wanted to stop before I made it any longer (about 6 pages which is a lot for someone who doesn't write on a regular basis). Also, my Mego-Hime is based after the concepts I have via deviantART which you can find on my profile page. =)

Second chapter may get a bit steamy depending on how far I go with this. I'm aiming for this to be a 3 chapter story (short, I know but I prefer one-shots lol).

Anyway, hope everyone liked it. I've been busy with college and whatnot so sorry I didn't write anything sooner lol.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for taking so long with getting a second chapter up, with mid-terms and college transferring to a more art-related school haha. Thank you for the reviews and for the alerts/faves, they really mean a lot to me. =)

WARNING: This chapter contains sexual content. Nothing too explicit, but it's fairly obvious.

_**Bold Italics **_mean the characters are saying English/Engrish words.

Flashbacks are written in 3rd person. The rest is in Mego's POV, _Italics_ are her thoughts.

* * *

The sun remained covered by the forest below, shading the little Dokuganryu and the little Harinago. Birds continued to chirp to cancel out the chilling silence as both boy and girl stared at one another, their faces completely revealed to one another.

"_**Be-au-ti-fu-l?" **_Mego-hime replied, carefully saying the word as her ruby eyes widened in surprise then blinked a few times. She slowly tilted her head with curiosity – how could she be beautiful?

"Yeah. I think." The young dragon replied, scratching the back of his head while staring off to rid himself of this awkward feeling.

Mego blinked a few more times, then smiled and walked up to him, leaning her head forward allowing only a couple of inches between their faces. A few strands of her hair began to dance about, some brushing against Masamune's face.

The young dragon looked back at the staring girl, a faint blush dancing across his face as his single eye locked with her own pair. He watched as both of her hands moved up to his face, causing him to flinch slightly at her touch. Something seemed different about her hands; they had the otherworldly chill that seemed to be present within the forest, but they were also soft and welcoming to him – something he wasn't familiar with when it came to the opposite sex.

"_Dokuganryu."_ Mego whispered, closed her eyes as she moved her face closer to his. Masamune didn't move closer, but he didn't pull away either. Instead, he closed his eyes and waited to see what she was planning first.

Then he felt warmth against his lips, causing a faint jolt in his stomach in reaction to her kiss. It was neither shy nor demanding, but gentle yet made him feel like she was thanking him.

_This can't be a custom of the Tamura, that old man was way too crusty. _The boy thought then shrugged it off, returning the small affection by placing his hands on her sides. Every so often he could feel strands of her hair touching his face.

* * *

"_**Treasure..."**_ Masamune whispered out as our bodies entwined against the bed's fabric, the blankets cocooning us completely. Between the blankets and our own body heats mixing together, our bodies were slick with sweat and our breathing became heavy.

The clothing we wore previously lay scattered all over the room, some making a trail leading towards where we were. The private courtyard door remained open, the sun almost completely covered by the distant mountains as nightfall followed close behind. Within a few minutes in to our lovemaking, the moon showed its face to the world below it.

I gasped, my back arched as my body pressed hungrily against his which only prompted him to grab my body with equal hunger. I could feel his fingers digging into my skin, exactly how any possessive dragon would hold his treasure. A sudden jolt of stinging pain shot from my shoulder, forcing me to open my eyes and looking towards the source, only to find Masamune's teeth sinking into my flesh. I could only let out a low moan and then could faintly hear a low growl from my husband.

I felt my body being lifted up from the dampened bed-sheets and being pulled into his lap. The cool night air touched my sweat-covered skin almost instantly as it sent pleasant chills through me. I lifted my head to look at him; my half-closed eyes stared back at his lone left eye. I gently placed one hand over his eyepatch, slowly lifting the cloth from his right eye then set it aside. I moved my lips over the closed socket, careful to not put too much weight against the scarred skin. I wanted to heal him as much as he wanted to heal me. I felt his hands caress my back, a soothing feeling but also a weakness of mine as I sighed with bliss.

I pulled from kissing his eye, once again locking gazes with him. His hands moved back down to my hips as mine wrapped around his neck, both of us slowly gripping the other as we both asked the same question...

"_**Are you ready?"**_

Soft laughter erupted from both of us, and then we shifted back into subtle seriousness. I nodded, he nodded.

_Yes. We are ready._

_

* * *

_

The young dragon and the little demoness sat on a fallen tree together, the sun setting in the distance as they watched the river dance downstream. Both remained silent after their little kiss, too bashful to speak of the action afterwards.

Mego hugged her legs as she looked over at Masamune who was tossing pebbles into the clear water. An occasional _plunk_ would cut the silence. Feeling like he was being watched, he looked over at her smiling face. He smiled back through flushed cheeks and tousled brown hair.

"Botenmaru-sama!" an older male voice could be heard in the distance, causing the boy to jump from his spot on the tree and landing on the ground.

"Mego-Hime! Come here at once!" another voice followed. Though male, it wasn't as soft as the other, but more angered.

"Damn! They must be looking for us!" Masamune said then looked back at Mego who only had a look of fear in her eyes.

"No. No. No." Mego repeated, trying to back away from the approaching figures. Her fear only caused confusion with the young boy.

"_**Mego? What's up?"**_ the young dragon asked as he watched the girl's strange behaviour. What _was_ up with that girl anyway?

"They're coming to take us away..." she whimpered, her red eyes glistening with red tears as they fell from her face. Masamune put both of his hands on her face to get a better look.

"Mego, you're bleeding!" he yelled now desperately trying to wipe away the bloody tears from her eyes.

"This...Is how a demon cries..." she whispered, silently sobbing as she crumpled against him. He wrapped his arms around her protectively though not exactly sure what she meant by "taking them away".

Everything was a blur; Kojyuro Katakura instinctively grabbed Masamune while Kiyoaki angrily wrenched his daughter from him.

The daimyo-to-be was gently being escorted an opposite direction, though his head remained looking back.

What he saw was Mego reaching out to him, her sobbing turned into painful wails as Kiyoaki dragged her by her hair. What his attendant said was muffled, but what she said remained in his head for years.

"_Don't let it die! Find me again, Dokuganryu! My heart shall always be yours!" _

It would be six years until the Dokuganryu and the Harinago would reunite.

The boy known as Botenmaru took on a new name, now going by the name of Masamune Date. As he grew up, he became a formidable individual of his time.

At fourteen, he won his first battle; unifying the Oshu region.

At eighteen, he became the Lord of Oshu.

Though these accomplishments were admirable, he carried about his business with a double-sided personality. Those who saw him on a daily basis would see the cocky, sarcastic yet cool-headed leader that his army came to admire greatly. Alone, he was left his thoughts of his past. The voice of a little demon girl remained burned into his memory and sometimes haunting his dreams.

Occasionally, he would look out of the doorway to face the direction of Mount Osore, the mountain of fear. Its rumours of demons and restless spirits spread across the Northern tip of Japan. But what very few knew was that somewhere near there rested Miharu Castle, home to Kiyoaki Tamura and his tortured demonic daughter, Mego-Hime. Sometimes he would see the sky in that area become stained with red, and distant screams would follow.

"Who are you torturing for your own sickly ways, Old Man Tamura?" Masamune muttered to himself, unaware that Kojyuro sat in the same room but remained silent nonetheless.

The older man knew perfectly well who the young daimyo was talking about.

As for Mego-Hime, she was locked away within the walls of Miharu Castle, almost never seeing the sun.

At seventeen, she escaped her confines and disappeared with her nursemaid, Junko Itsuko.

Rumours stated that she fled the province in search of someone. Others suggested that she became a small-scale daimyo and leads an army of women as revenge.

What they didn't know was what her face looked like, as she wore the clay mask once more.

The Dokuganryu and the Harinago were forced to split, blindly searching for one another.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Alas! I bring you another chapter though it's kinda rushed and short. I'm on a bit of a creation block and with Christmas zooming on by, New Years approaching as well as my (brace yourself!) birthday, the third chapter may take just as long. I also had a bit of a virus problem though it's fixed now.

So! Feel free to drop a comment or two, stop by my deviantART gallery seen in my profile, or just say hi. Pardon the possible grammatical and spelling errors. My laptop keys are rather messed up and I seem to enjoy forcing myself to stay up late hahaha. :)


	3. Chapter 3

_**Bold Italics **_mean the characters are saying English/Engrish words.

_Italics_ are her thoughts.

Flashbacks are written in 3rd person. Author's Note will now be at the bottom of each chapter.

* * *

A young girl's sobs echoed through the walls of Miharu Castle, the sound occasionally struck the hearts of passing servants, though were given strict orders to avoid the source. Young Mego-Hime was accepting her punishment of solitude, Lord Tamura said. His scarlet eyes would sometimes look towards the direction of his sobbing daughter, contemplating on silencing her. Closing his angry eyes, he forced himself to focus on a new strategy; a plan so heinous that it had potential to shake the will of his target – or perhaps kill.

_Masamune Date is now eighteen autumns if my guess is correct. He's taken the seating as daimyo through a cowardly tactic – murdering Terumune and his captor. I suppose I should leave it up to Yoshi-Hime to go with her plans first before I make my move…_

His talon-like fingers grazed the age stained map before him, dragging it from where his home was supposedly located towards where the Date sat. Domination was essential for a man of his personality. He had hoped that his daughter would have taken her part a little more seriously, though in the end she became consumed by a petty emotion that typical girls became inflicted with. **Love.** How ironic that her name also meant that, more of a mockery left by her mother as she died holding the crying infant in her tired arms.

_Get a hold of yourself, these disgusting emotions that humans thrive on will no longer have a place in your world, Kiyoaki. Once Oshu has submitted before you, you will proceed onward to the rest of the country. During that, you can dispose of your abomination that you used to call a daughter. _

Yes. That seemed necessary. Standing up, Kiyoaki moved towards the hallway as skittish servants quickly moved out of his way. He approached the door leading to Mego-Hime's bedchambers, his claws gripping the screen as he pushed it away from the other, the sound forced Mego out of her sobbing as she turned to see her father glare back at her.

"Get up." He demanded, and she obeyed. Clasping her hands in front of her, she looked up at her father through a now tear-stained porcelain mask. Every fibre of her being told her to stop shaking in fear despite knowing what his methods of punishment could be. Solitude, lashing, chained to a wall or all of the above though none were light. Her father approached her, one hand gripping his belt as the other remained at his side. The only sounds in the room were the sound of his armour clanking as he moved and Mego's muffled sniffles. Her head slowly moved to look up at her father's towering frame as he stared back down at her with merciless eyes.

"You failed me daughter, your part in my grand design was to gain his trust, marry him and rot the Date clan from within. But instead, you decided to let your human emotions consume you as you tried to give yourself to him!" he yelled, his voice echoing within the walls of the princess's room. Mego cowered in fear and a soft whimper followed. Still, he continued.

"I've told you countless times to never reveal your face, and still you rebel! Your face is to never be seen from anyone, you are protecting them from the grotesque features you've taken on since your conversion. Did I not thoroughly explain myself!" Kiyoaki turned towards the door leading to the balcony, angrily pushing the door open as he stepped out. In the distance, figures that belonged to the unknown danced about alongside the woods, fields and mountain roads. Demons and hungry ghosts lingered in these parts, Mt. Osore was their domain and the Tamura Clan ruled over this hellish realm.

"_Kiyoaki, I'm sorry, but we cannot go through with this alliance…"_

"_Why not Terumune, my friend? Has something made you think otherwise?"_

"_Yes, I'm afraid so."_

"_What is it then?"_

"_Your intentions are foul. My son has displayed strong concerns about your daughter, but alas I cannot let this union be. Forgive me Kiyoaki, but the Date does not need any more bloodshed." _

Recalling the conversation that went between himself and Terumune Date, the demonic daimyo clenched his fist then turned back to Mego.

"You are seventeen winters now. I've kept you in this room since you were twelve. Your silence, your solitude, it was all a way to teach you daughter. How can I trust you if you continued to disobey me?" he said, his voice slowly calming down as he turned to approach her.

"I'll be leaving the region soon, daughter. Can I trust that you won't leave this place? Can you look me in the eye and say that you'll always be here?" he asked, his hand gently touching the side of her head. The intention was affectionate, but the feeling alone was wooden in Mego's eyes. She nodded her head numbly.

Little did he know that while she sat alone for all those years she had hatched a plan of her own.

"Excellent. That's my dearest daughter." He said, his voice sounding sickeningly sweet as he kissed the top of her head and took his leave.

When it was safe, Mego removed her mask and wiped her face free of tears. Her eyes looked down at the blank porcelain face that stared back at her. Part of her wanted to put it back on her face, out of second nature, to hide what her father always said about her appearance. **Grotesque.** Was something truly wrong with her face?

"_Beautiful…"_

That's right. Years ago, Masamune Date himself had said to her that her face was the opposite of disgusting. But that was years ago, her face could have changed since then. There was no looking glass within the castle, no water to give a reflection, no polished metal to reveal the truth. Sighing, she looked towards the balcony, hearing the movement of horses and men taking their leave. Off to conquer the upper areas of Mutsu possibly. Her father would be among those men.

Putting on the porcelain mask, Mego turned toward the door as it slid open as Junko Itsuko stepped in afterwards. Her attendant kneeled before the princess and bowed her head in greeting.

"Lady Mego."

"Good of you to return Junko, you have amazing timing." Mego replied, her voice sounding much happier. She stood up as the older woman followed; she approached Junko as she placed a hand on her shoulder. Junko nodded, instantly understanding what the girl's thoughts were.

"_**It's time."**_

* * *

"Lord Masamune."

"_**What's up**_ Kojurro?"

"I'm a bit concerned with how my lord is feeling."

"Oh?"

"Your focus is slipping again, are ghosts of the past resurfacing?"

The young daimyo let out a quiet laugh as he repositioned himself for sparring. Holding only one wooden sword in his hands, he narrowed his left eye at the older man.

"No ghosts have _ever_ formed. _**You see?**_" Part lie, part truth. Occasionally, thoughts of a former love would slip back into his mind only to be pushed back by empty lust from a concubine. Red eyes, pink lips, white skin – no, a porcelain mask gave that illusion. Even so, he had seen her face those many years ago, an innocent face of a young girl with sad eyes that spoke of pain. Her black hair would dance even when there was no wind.

_Harinago. She was one._

"_Don't let it die! Find me again, Dokuganryu! My heart shall always be yours!"_

_I'll find you again Mego…_

_**Trust me…**_

"Lord Masamune!" Kojurro's voice snapped him back to reality as he soon found the tip of the wooden sword pointing directly at his left eye. The older man's expression clearly read both of concern and annoyance. Normally the One-Eyed Dragon wouldn't lose focus in something as simple as a sparring match. He watched as Masamune pressed his index finger and thumb against his forehead and shut his one eye tight. Kojurro remained nearby as the young daimyo struggled with his thoughts.

Perhaps there was more. It was only sometime ago that he had successfully unified Oshu but had also injured his right arm in the process, as well as dealing with the burden of killing his own father to become head of the clan. His mother Yoshi-Hime had begun to shun him, completely cutting him off from whom she considered as family. Something about her seemed off, as if she was secretly planning something sinister behind her screens.

"Perhaps we should call it a day, my lord." Kojurro said, putting away the wooden weapons as he nodded to a nearby attendant to bring them tea. He turned back to see Masamune looking up at the sky, his thoughts straying off to wherever they desired. Sighing, the Right Eye silently took his leave, knowing perfectly well that his lord would want to be alone for awhile.

_I'm only eighteen. At thirteen I became a man. _

_No, I am a dragon._

_Dokuganryu. _

Masamune sighed, and then looked down at his outstretched hands before clenching them into fists.

_But what's a dragon without his treasure?_

His thoughts were shaken when Kojurro came back with a piece of parchment in hand. He handed the piece of paper over to Masamune who unfolded it open to read it. His eye widened at the calligraphy, different from what he was used to the kanji had a feminine flair to it and the signature itself was a dead giveaway as to who it was from.

"_The world has not yet laid down flat, for it has only begun for you._

_Please be sure to follow the world of His Highness in the righteous cause._

_Please do not consider my safety, I will always carry a dagger and vow to never be insulted._

_I am not far but I am not near, though you need not to worry about me._

_-The Harinago who will always watch her Dokuganryu."_

Masamune felt his stomach knot as he finished reading the cryptic letter. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he handed the letter back to Kojurro, mumbling to keep it stored in a safe place for future reference. He looked back up towards the sky, his eye desperately scanning for the possibility of an answer to Mego's letter. He looked towards the direction of Mt. Osore, noticing that the usual darkness that lingered about the area seemed less thick.

_Old Man Tamura's probably gone to haunt some other ground. _

_**Bastard.**_

Turning back towards the doorway of his home, Masamune stepped inside as Kojurro followed who then closed the door behind them. The One-Eyed Dragon called upon his elites and Shigezane to hold an emergency council. Once they seated, Masamune pointed towards the map before him.

"_**Alright guys, **_we've got a new goal this time." He began, his eye looking over each of his faithful retainers. All gave varying expressions of curiosity, worry and eagerness which prompted the young Daimyo to smirk approvingly. He looked back down at the map and tapped his finger against the parchment.

"This," he tapped his finger again, resting it on the desired location, "is the region of Miharu. And this," he slid his index finger diagonally across from the first location to another that had a tiny image of a mountain, "is Mt. Osore; our second goal." A few men spoke to another through hushed words, some much more worried than before.

Bunshichi, one of Masamune's Elite Four, shuffled in his seat as he timidly looked up at his lord, his Right Eye and his Shield. "Um.. Captain, may I say something?" he asked shyly and bowed. Masamune nodded and waved a hand to allow the worrisome man to continue.

"M-Mount Osore is haunted ground as is the Miharu region, is it not?" The Daimyo smirked and nodded knowing where this was going, Bunshichi struggled with his words as his fellow Elites Yoshinao, Samanosuke and Magobei watched his shaking body.

"Is it really safe for us to trespass on ominous ground? I've heard stories, sir…" he said and forced himself to relax. The One-Eyed Dragon was about to begin when a nearby door slid open and Goemon Ishikawa stepped in and bowed before his lord.

"Took you long enough." The Lord of Oshu said as the decorative ninja shrugged his shoulders.

"Quite a variety of rumours Boss, they tend to take me to too many places. Anyway, I've done my research on the locations you want." Goemon said as he sat himself down. Despite being a ninja, the young man stood out like a sore thumb in comparison to his fellow comrades. A man heavily interested in the performing arts, Goemon Ishikawa was what many called a 'flamboyant individual' due to his long, unruly hair that seemed to be dyed with ink and his face that was always decorated with red lines to give him the look of a demon. A Kabuki ninja; two very different roles of man mashed into one being.

Shigezane smirked as he leaned back on his hands, "So, did you get out undetected or did you run away from a pack of angry girls?" he asked teasingly, causing some of the soldiers to chuckle along with him and Kojurro to scold the young man for speaking out.

"Lord Shigezane, you are to speak when spoken to, is that clear?" the elder man asked sternly and narrowed his eyes at him. All the younger dragon did was merely shrug and kept his cocky smirk on his face. Masamune shook his head and shrugged as he looked back at Goemon.

"So, what did you find?" the Lord of Oshu asked. The room fell silent and all eyes went to the kneeling ninja as he nodded in response to begin explaining.

"The rumours of the land being haunted or _possessed_ are true," Bunshichi and a few other men shook their heads with worry and whispered amongst one another before hushing, "Lord Tamura of Miharu has pretty much washed the land with demonic energy that it's nearly impossible getting through unharmed. However," Goemon shifted his seating then moved towards the map and pointed at the forest sitting at the base of Mt. Osore, "_this_ area is safely guarded by some sort of incantation. It's very foreign from what I gathered, some of the items hung in the tree look like this." He made his two index fingers into a 'cross-shape' for the entire room to see, resulting in more whispers amongst soldiers. Masamune's lips curled into a grin, knowing all too well what the ninja was trying to convey.

_A rosary. _

_Sacred symbol of a foreign God, mainly worshipped by the foreigners known as the Jesuits. _

Goemon let his hands rest on the ground as he looked at his leader, "There's a reason for those being there. The army may be completely female, but there is _one_ male residing there and he is rumoured to be a Jesuit. They say he's the son of Louis Frois, but that's about it. The leader is definitely female; I managed to catch a glimpse of her, and her six elites." The more he spoke of women, the more anxious each man was becoming in the room. Though the land was vast, Oshu itself was lacking a healthy abundance of women. Though not obviously showing it, Masamune silently urged Goemon to further describe the leader.

_Give me a clue, and I'll figure it out. _

_I already have my suspicions, however. _

Goemon sat back, looking from Kojurro to Shigezane to Masamune. "Their leader is supposedly a demon herself, a _harinago_ if you will. They say she rips the faces off her victims to replace her own repulsive one. It also explains why she wears a _mask_." The ninja watched as the Right Eye's body tensed slightly, the Shield's eyes narrow and look down at the map and the One-Eyed Dragon's slowly move from being underneath his chin. Out of the corner of his eyes, Goemon could see Yoshinao, Samanosuke, Magobei and Bunshichi all tense up as they saw their superiors act stranger than normal.

Clearly, something was odd about this new discovery.

After the deafening silence, Masamune replied lowly with his left eye narrowed at Goemon.

"_**Anything else?**_"

Goemon took a deep breath before looking at Masamune with blank emotion, "They say she dances and sings at night to lay restless souls to sleep. This is only a rumour, naturally." The daimyo nodded then stood up, pointing at the ninja.

"Goemon, I want you to go back there and see if you can get any more information about this army. We'll follow shortly after, _**you see?**_" He gave the ninja his trademark smirk while the older man nodded.

"I'll do what I can and report as soon as I'm able." He said, then faded from the naked eye to take on his new mission.

Masamune turned to the others, signalling them that this meeting was over and they were free to excuse themselves. Kojurro, Shigezane and the Elite Four decided to stay behind, however. Magobei moved to open up the door to let the cool summer air through the stuffy room.

"Cousin, can I say something?"

"_**Go on.**_"

"Goemon said that the land surrounding this little forest village is pretty much instant death, do you think it's safe to bring the entire army?" He crossed his arms as he leaned against a nearby wall. Others couldn't help but feel the same way as they looked one another. Kojurro seated remained nearby Masamune who walked over to this cousin, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm only bringing my best, that includes you, Kojurro and," he turned to look back at the four standing not too far from him, "you guys. So you don't need to worry Shigezane, _**you see?**_" He finished with a smirk as their faces were glowing with pride, some of them wiping their faces with their sleeves. An emotional bunch, but loyal nevertheless.

The dragon walked towards the door, letting his hand rest on the door and keeping his back to the men remaining in the room.

"_**Rest well.**_ We'll be leaving in a week or so." And with that, he took his leave. Leaving the rest to follow suit and to their own thoughts about the matter at hand.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Sorry I've been taking a while to get things going with this story. Most of my chapter ideas are right from my mind and 50% are unplanned so I'm very happy that a few are enjoying this. This chapter will be focusing on the flashback rather than Mego's POV. I will be switching between both her perspective and Masamune's.

People are probably wondering why Goemon Ishikawa is in this band of men. Because of his near-folktale background, there's actually a number of different stories of how he came to be. He's also my concept which is on deviantART, and is considered to be the go-between of the Date gang. I figured they could use a ninja and there was an Ishikawa that serves the Date, but there's no record that proves he was related to Goemon. I ran with it to put it simply haha.

So I was definitely _not_ expecting this to be as long as it was. Turns out that once I get into detail, I lose track of how long it gets haha. It also looks like this will be a couple of chapters before we get back to the present, is everyone good with that? When we do go back to the present, there may be some possible sexual content considering where we left off. XD However there will be one part in the flashback that will contain sexual content. Next chapter – Mego-Hime and her Army. Thanks again for reading ~!


	4. Chapter 4

_**Bold Italics in " "/speech are Engrish words**_

_Italics without speech are thoughts._

* * *

A gong rang out into the approaching nightfall, breaking the cold silence that seemed to blanket the forest and the base of Mount Osore as villagers hurried themselves to get to safety as night steadily approached. Though things seemed to be a lot calmer than before, the small village and its people couldn't afford to take any chances with what crept beyond the walls of their little safe haven. Stories that spoke of spirits and demons seemed to linger about the village, frightening the inhabitants as they wondered if all of this was a myth or the actual truth. Things changed when a woman clad in shades of blues and aqua approached them with a few of other females in matching tones, promising them their safety and they gave her the reins to lead them to that safety. She delivered that promise, their minds temporarily at ease as the walls stood against the nightly threats.

That woman was Megohime, now the proud leader of an all-female army with her attendant Junko by her side.

Upon her arrival, she wore her hair in a black wig but had later discarded the troublesome article and in exchange revealed her natural, reddish tone. A sign of rebellion against her father who ever so desired to see her completely dissolved from existence, and lost in loneliness forever. Though she continued to wear a porcelain mask, she would take it off once she was in her private quarters so only a selected few would see her face. Now leading the villagers and her army to safety and prosperity, Megohime was left to contemplate her fate once other warlords found out about their existence. A fact that she could barely think about as her thoughts often danced towards a particular _one-eyed dragon._

Leaning back, the young lady-leader looked out of a nearby window to see the still setting sun, and peering closely she could faintly make out the outline of Mutsu's capital, Oshu. She could feel her heart twist in her chest and her eyes sting from preventing falling tears. Breathing in a heavy sigh, she forced herself to look away and turned her attention to the papers before her.

"Is something wrong My Lady?" a man with long brown hair and glasses said as he looked at Megohime with some worry. A travelling foreigner who had recently taken shelter within his lady's ranks as he was eager to learn more of others while he silently practiced his Christian religion. Mego and her girls only identified him as Tsuge Frois, the son of Louis Frois – A Jesuit.

"Hm? It's nothing, Tsuge. _**What's up?**_" Mego replied, tilting her head as she looked at him. Junko silently moved beside her lady as she bowed and then sat up, stopping the young man from responding.

"Pardon my intrusion, Lady Mego, but it's come to my attention that we have an unwanted guest." The flaxen haired kunoichi said, narrowing her aqua eyes to the ground. Megohime nodded, and then waved her hand to excuse Tsuge.

"We'll continue this later Tsuge, _**alright**_?" The Jesuit male merely nodded and excused himself.

Mego turned back to Junko, raising her eyebrow in curiosity at _who_ the uninvited guest was.

_Could it be...? No, that would be absurd and a waste of his time to come all the way up here. _

_Stop dreaming Mego, there's no doubt that he's moved on, why even try to think that he still remembers you? _

Shaking away her thoughts, she listened to Junko's answer.

"Your cousin, Yoshitane Souma is here to see you..." She said quietly, locking eyes with her leader. Mego's eyes narrowed as her hands balled into fists and her hair began to twitch without the aid of wind. Her temper was slowly climbing.

"Souma..." Mego said through gritted teeth, hatred burned in her chest as she stood up, gripped her sword in one hand and turned towards the door.

_Him! That wretched bastard, how DARE he make his presence known around here? Even so, how did he even find this place? _

Her heart began to thud in her chest, her walking was becoming faster and heavier, her eyes locked onto where her 'cousin' was placed. Gripping her sword more, she began to further recall the events that revolved around the Souma and the Date. A battle that nearly cost the lives of many, but it still went in Masamune's favour.

Stopping in front of the door, Mego looked to her top retainers Hisoka and Chieko and nodded, signalling them to stand aside and only take action when demanded. They nodded in response; Hisoka pushed the door back as both women kneeled to allow their leader to continue through.

Yoshitane Souma looked up to see his enraged cousin storm through and remained standing before him. He smirked up at her, which only fuelled her anger further.

"Cousin...You look well." He said with slight sarcasm and lifted a cup of tea to his lips. Mego kicked the small cup out of his hands as the hot liquid splattered off to the side and its holder shattered against the floor. He let out a 'tsk' and looked back up at her.

"I wasn't finished with that. Why act like such a barbarian? Don't you know how to treat –"

"You are _not_ my guest, you are an unwelcome visitor. An intruder. How dare you show yourself after all of the chaos you caused between the Date and your pitiful self?"

"You dare to insult me, Mego?"

"Yes, I do. I have no desire to neither listen nor see you at all; get out willing before I _force_ you to do so. Make your choice with haste Souma, I'm a very impatient woman." Mego said, her patience running thin and her temper climbing the more she stayed in the same room as he.

"You have become rather gutsy since you ran from home, Mego. You do realize that your father has branded you as a traitor? He seeks death to the Date, as we all would..." Yoshitane muttered, eyeing the shattered pieces from the teacup on the floor.

"Masamune Date is a loose cannon, he needs to be dealt with and should you work with us Mego, Lord Tamura said he would lift your brand and would welcome you back to Miharu." He said, leaning forward to urge his cousin to think otherwise.

The demoness began to laugh, then broke into hysterical laughter as she hugged herself and kicked at the air. Yoshitane looked at her with a mixture of shock and anger, how dare she laugh at this? He continued to watch her with his mixed emotions as she slowed her laughter. Her mood quickly changed to disgust as she pointed her index finger at him.

"Souma, you're a fool, a puppet dangling on the strings of the Tamura and Souma. Little do you realize that Kiyoaki has no desire to be merciful to friends or family. We are mere pawns on his little chessboard; can you not see how obvious his manipulations move about within the two clans?"

Yoshitane moved back, surprised by how Mego interpreted their family; everything that she had said sounded vile and only words that a traitor would ever think of speaking. Closing his eyes for a second, he smirked and then mimicked her finger pointing.

"Mego, you're fooling no one with your supposed over-confidence. You think this will catch the attention of Date? Think this will stop Lord Tamura from consuming the land? This land is rightfully ours, and your actions speak of nothing but of a scared little girl playing dress-up. You're inexperienced, naive and you believe that that dragon bastard _actually_ wants to be with you."

Mego stared at him in bewilderment and remained frozen in her seat as her breathing came to a stop.

"Bulls eye. Mego, Date is a brothel regular, a misogynist prick and only cares for himself. You would be nothing more than a little snack for his nightly pleasures, and only for just one night considering just how you carry yourself. To him, you would be just another girl."

Her breathing was short and could barely fill her lungs. For the first time in a long time, Megohime began to feel fear and resentment. Not just from Souma, but from her father, from Masamune and from her brother who left her.

_Why do men do the evils that they do...? _

_It's a fact of life. _

_You cannot trust them. Ever._

_What about Tsuge? He's been nothing but very kind to us..._

_He's from a place far from Japan, he promised himself to God. Untouchable._

Her thoughts were cut short as Yoshitane moved closer to Mego, resting his hands on her shoulders and causing her to jolt out of his grasp with wide, frightened eyes.

"All of you do this to me. The evils that you men do to us women. What have we _ever_ done to you?" she cried and began twisting her body and arms around, her hands balled into fists as she pounded at Yoshitane in a blind fury.

_Curse these men! CURSE THEM!_

Everything seemed to move in a dull blur; Megohime could only faintly hear herself cry out for Junko, hear Yoshitane protest angrily and her retainers defending their lady. Soon all sounds were tuned out by the sound of her own heart beating.

Or was it breaking?

And then everything went black.

* * *

Things seemed off for the One-Eyed Dragon; Goemon had already left to carry out his mission, but something had still seemed strange in his mindset.

Something just wasn't right.

Standing in the middle of the field, Masamune stared in the direction of Mount Osore, thunder rolled on in the opposite direction with a few flashes of lightning. Looking down, the young daimyo stared at a small necklace in his hand. On a simple, beaded chain, the pendant was a golden dragon, clinging onto a small blue gem with one word engraved in it. _Love._

"Mego..." he said quietly, gripping the piece of jewellery as he looked back up.

"Lord Masamune..." Kojuro approached Masamune, looking between his lord and then towards the direction of Mount Osore.

"Kojuro, _**do you feel that?**_" the One-Eyed Dragon asked, turning his head ever so slightly to see his Right Eye. The older man nodded and out of habit began to grip the hilt of his sword.

"The air feels heavy, but dark. Something is happening, but I can't seem to make any sense of it My Lord." He replied. Masamune nodded and looked back.

"I just hope Goemon doesn't screw things up this time."

"Pardon my sarcasm, but that's putting too much faith into him Lord Masamune. " Kojuro replied dryly, causing the dragon to let out a small laugh.

"_**Yeah,**_but he's been trying. Gotta give him that at least."

Moments after, Shigezane along with the Four Elites ran over to meet up with the One-Eyed Dragon and his Right Eye. Both men turned to see faces of concern.

"_**Big problems**_, cousin, Goemon sent me a message. Yoshitane Souma went into the Forest of Souls, possibly looking for the hidden village and its leader. He was successful, and it turns out..." Shigezane stopped, looking away from them to recollect himself. Yoshinao placed a hand on his shoulder to give the young man encouragement to continue.

Masamune turned around to directly face his cousin, now fighting his own body from nervousness. Kojuro stared at the Dragon's Shield – Now something was definitely not right.

Taking a deep breath, Shigezane turned back to Masamune and Kojuro, his expression remained serious.

"The leader has been confirmed. _She_ is the leader." He quietly finished. The One-Eyed Dragon's eye widened then went back to its normal size as he turned to Kojuro and gave him a nod. He then nodded to Yoshinao, Samanosuke, Bunshichi and Magobei, signalling them all to leave. They obliged.

Once alone, Masamune looked back at Shigezane as Kojuro returned from locking the gate. The wind began to pick up as more lightning and thunder became present. The atmosphere gave off an eerie feel.

"_**Are you sure?**_" the daimyo asked. The Shield nodded.

Masamune stepped away from them for a moment, trying to recollect his thoughts. Kojuro turned to look at Shigezane.

"What do you mean by '_She'_, Lord Shigezane?" he asked, suddenly concerned of his lord's odd behaviour at the mentioning of a woman.

Shigezane looked back at the Right Eye, his expression remained serious but now solemn.

"_Megohime._"

Kojuro nodded. Both men turned to watch Masamune, making sure that he wouldn't lose his cool. It wasn't time.

"Goemon better hurry..." was all the One-Eyed Dragon said.

* * *

At the same time, Megohime woke up with Junko and her Elites all in the room. Each of them showing concern for their leader.

Sitting up, she looked over at her Keeper, raising an eyebrow. Junko nodded and Mego sighed.

"Sorry for...Collapsing like that." She said quietly, embarrassed by her weakness.

"No need to worry M'Lady," Hisoka said, fixing her tinted eyeglasses as she leaned against the wall, "Souma's been dealt with, but apparently he wasn't alone..."

"Meaning?"

Chieko stepped forward, "It appears that there was _another_ that has been sighted lurking about the area. We caught him thankfully, but he insists that he isn't associated with Souma."

Mego nodded, "Did he say who he was with?"

"Masamune Date." Junko replied with no expression on her face. Mego felt her stomach knot, but simply nodded again.

"I see... What does Date's ninja want with us? Did he say?" she asked.

"An audience with you to speak to you about _something_, but never specified." Hisoka answered and then shrugged her shoulders. Again, Mego nodded her head.

"Then I'll speak to him. But see to it that he is weaponless and bound." She said and all nodded their heads and took their leave. Mego was left alone to sort herself out, and to properly prepare herself for this Goemon fellow.

* * *

Goemon Ishikawa sat in the centre of the room on the floor, his hands and ankles bound, his weapons removed and his hair messed up from being thrown about by angry women. Shigezane had an odd way of predicting things. Sighing, he looked up to see the same group of girls who attacked and tied him down; followed by the fair haired woman they called 'Junko'. And then a fiery redhead came close behind, walked towards the platform where the leader would usually sit and then seated herself.

The Kabuki-ninja caught his breath; this woman with red hair must have been Megohime. Rumored to have been a faceless demon, Goemon studied her and already debunked that theory.

_Well that rumour is false. She is __**definitely**__ not faceless._

Red eyes, pale skin and a face resembling a doll's; this was the description that his lord Masamune had briefly given him, and aside from her hair being different from before everything fitted.

"State your business, ninja." She said, her voice sounding strong but calm.

Goemon cleared his throat, "I come here by request of my lord, Masamune Date of Oshu. He wishes to speak with you revolving around your land and mines." He replied, looking up at her. Mego shifted in her seat.

"My land and mines? Why, the land you see here barely feeds my people and the mines are all we have for our trades. What good would that be for us?" she asked, resting her head on her right hand as she stared down at him. He began to feel uncomfortable.

"Well, My Lady... Lord Masamune wishes to also speak to you about an alliance of sorts. He's heard of your minor skirmishes with mountain bandits and the like, and how you have saved many from restless demons and souls of Mount Osore. He is quite fond of you, if I do say so myself." He said with a smile. She didn't return the expression.

"Mr. Ishikawa, moments ago I already had a disagreement with Souma about your lord. Aside from saying he wants my lands and mines and apparently fancies me because I'm some sort of saviour doesn't quite convince me to welcome him with open arms." Mego replied, a few of her girls giggled with Junko quietly hushing them.

Goemon nervously laughed, "Ah yes, pardon me for trying to turn up the romances. But I do speak of the truth, Lord Masamune does wish to speak to you to make up for lost time and also regarding the previous. Unfortunately, my words won't be enough to sway you; you will have to see for yourself."

"That may be, but will he actually come up here? Or, like a 'gentleman' would he have me and my girls go to him? Pardon my rudeness , but we don't move for anyone. If he wants to speak to me, he comes here." She said, standing up and waving her hand to signal Hisoka to grab the flamboyant man who began to squirm in protest.

"And to make him come here, I will need to bait him through you. I hope you forgive me in the future. Hisoka, make out guest comfortable and prepare for upcoming guests my girls." Mego added as they all began to move about and Hisoka escorted Goemon to his 'room'.

* * *

Moving back up to her room, Mego quietly sent Junko off for the night to be left to her own thoughts, but instructed the older woman to take a letter to Masamune and hurry back soon afterwards.

The storm began to pick up, but no rain fell.

Looking towards the balcony's doorway, Mego felt her heart sink as she thought more about him. A few tears began to fell as she quickly wiped them away

_Please forgive me, but I have to act this way for the sake of my people..._

_You would do the same...Right?_

The more she wiped away her tears, the more they fell before she crumpled towards the ground, gripping the sides of the doorway still staring towards the direction of Oshu, careful to not let a sound out as she broke down.

_I'm just another girl...Nothing personal..._

_**Baby, I'm so lonely...**_

* * *

**Author's Note:** So sorry I took forever to get this chapter up. A lot of personal problems offline happened and I was needed there as well as having a huge major writer's block. I'm hoping this eases up along with everything else so I can finish this!

Megohime's appearance has indeed changed, instead of going for black hair, she now has reddish-brown hair to counter-balance Masamune's chestnut hair. Her personality will also be slightly different, but not by much so no worries. I promise that she still loves him all the same and I'll be aiming to write some steamier scenes in the near future. Until then, hang tight! :D


	5. Chapter 5

**_Bold Italics _**are for 'Engrish' phrases

_Italic Sentances_ are for thoughts

Author's Note at the bottom

* * *

Masamune folded the letter in his hands, closed his eye for a second and rubbed his index finger and thumb against his forehead as he thought everything over. Why did she sound so aggressive in her letter? He sat up, opened his eye and then it hit him. Yoshitane Souma had recently visited her.

_Souma was there, there's gotta be a reason for that._

The One-Eyed Dragon continued to search through his mind to find the missing pieces; from the discovery of the female leader to Souma's reason for visiting. Something had to be there, but it just wasn't making its presence known. Unfolding the letter and looking over the map where he circled Megohime's location, Masamune scanned the two pages over and then traced his index finger from the 'Forest of Souls' to Miharu.

_Of course, Kiyoaki Tamura has something to do with this... _

_Probably explains why she's so aggressive now, both men have been cowardly bastards and do nothing but use others._

He read the letter over once more, carefully checking to see if a clue would appear.

"_One-Eyed Dragon,_

_It has come to my attention that one of your subordinates has claimed that __you__ wish to see me. However I cannot stress enough that I have no desire to hear of such oddities from a failure of a ninja – he seems rather determined to sneak a peek of my bathing quarters, mind you. Regardless, I am unconvinced and I request that __you__ make your presence known to me. Your faithful 'ninja' will remain under my care until you come to fetch him. I have entrusted my retainer Junko to not only deliver this letter, but to include a map to guide you to my little village. Know that I mean this with all seriousness and I am not looking for a fight despite the tone of this letter. _

_Regards,_

_The Harionago of Mount Osore"_

Masamune chuckled quietly to himself after reading the letter and then shook his head as he set it aside. Megohime had an odd way of wording things as well as trying to sound intimidating. Though her style of calligraphy was elegant as any high-born woman would have, parts of her writing showed signs of nervousness. Then there was the peculiar stain in the top left corner, hinting that water touched the parchment. Tears, perhaps?

The door to his quarters slid open as both Kojuro and Shigezane stepped through, the Elites stood behind them. The One-Eyed Dragon nodded in greeting and they mirrored him. Kojuro moved towards his right side, sat down and bowed to his lord, Shigezane remained directly in front of both of them and bowed.

"Anything?" the younger retainer asked and Masamune shrugged his shoulders.

"She wants us to pay a visit instead of Goemon whom she's decided to keep until we go." He replied. Kojuro shook his head in disgust.

"The nerve of her, she speaks as if she has some sort of authority in this area." The Right Eye growled and clenched his fists. Shigezane nodded in agreement.

"You would think that she would be a bit friendlier than that, considering we've let her roam free for a while."

Masamune waved his hand to stop both of the men.

"Slandering aside, she has a right to be aggressive. Look at her bloodline," he said resting his right hand against his face as he leaned forward, "Old man Tamura is insane, Souma is a _**manipulative little snake**_ and then there are the men who were rumoured to be her suitors. Not to mention the supposed _**priests**_ who were behind the whole _**demonic conversion**_. I think she has a right to be angry, _**you see**_?" the daimyo smirked.

Shigezane leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling, "Yeah but, is it really necessary for us to go easy on her? We're not meant to be easy on _**anyone**_, cousin. I understand you and her got pretty damn close in the woods years ago and the pair of you were _supposed_ to be married back then. You care about her, we get that, but I just don't see how we can give her the easy route in comparison to others we've _**tangoed**_ with." He shrugged.

"Lord Shigezane, does have a point My Lord," Kojuro said, slightly leaning forward to look into his master's eye, "Though she is your former lover, her arrogance cannot go undetected. Woman or not, she is a daimyo who has threatened one of our own and has dared to show disrespect towards you and so she must be treated for such inappropriate manners."

Masamune stared back at them coldly, "Are both of you saying that you don't _**trust**_ my judgement?" The Right Eye shook his head, however Shigezane opened his eyes, leaned forward and stared back at his cousin.

"Masamune, she's known as _The Bitch of Oshu_, she will be ruthless no matter who you are. She's a bloodthirsty demoness to boot, what makes you think that she will back off once you show up on her doorstep? Do you think she'll just welcome you with open arms and go back to the _**good ol' days**_?" The Shield replied, determined to make his cousin see the truth.

"You were never this lovestruck, cousin. Do you show such emotions to your concubines?" he added, watching as Masamune pointed one of his six claws at him. He remained seated and still.

"Don't bring those bloodthirsty wolves into this conversation," he growled, "Mego knows better. She may be a demon and the daughter of the Undead Emperor, but she is far from acting like the two." He put the sword away, leaning back against the wall.

"Only _I_ know how her. _**You see?**_" he smirked, knowing all too well that both Shigezane and Kojuro would back off. His cousin merely sighed in annoyance and leaned back, and his retainer closed his eyes for a moment to give himself a moment to breathe.

After a while, both men had left Masamune alone in his thoughts, now only the faint sounds of crickets chirping and the occasional whisper from the wind would break the nightly silence. Removing his eyepatch, the One-Eyed Dragon found himself sitting on the porch that overlooked the small courtyard, the odd sense of loneliness and the sinking feeling of his heart grew painfully within him. He slowly moved his eye to look up at the moon, watching the clouds swiftly caress its face as they moved northbound.

Yes, it had been years since he saw her pale face and heard her timid voice. It had been years since he felt her small, soft hands touch his face or seen her hair dance about on its own. It had been years since he felt whole. The empty lust that developed over time would be temporarily hushed as he spent nights alone with his concubines and the occasional mistress in a nearby brothel. Every time he gave in to his hunger, he felt emptier than before. At times, he could almost hear her sobbing in the back of his mind, as if she was witnessing this through him. Some days he wondered if she actually could.

Since their rendezvous in the woods, Masamune recalled a particular night they shared before they had to finally say goodbye. Though young, the pair gave themselves to the other as a promise to one day meet again.

'_Forever and always,' as she always said. _He thought to himself, feeling a small smile form on his face as let the memory rush through his mind.

Looking down at his hands, he stared at the necklace he had held earlier. The dragon now looked more lost and alone than before, a mere reflection of whom it was based after. Clasping it in his hands, he looked towards in the direction of Mount Osore.

"_**Soon, Mego. Soon.**_" He said quietly.

_Oshu, Dawn_

Dawn painted the sky as Masamune prepared his men to march towards the village with directions and a map in hand. He scanned over his choices; Kojuro Katakura and Shigezane Date were his first choices naturally. Yoshinao, Samanosuke, Magobei and Bunshichi also showed an interest in tagging along, more by Masamune's request than anything.

Mounting his horse, he crossed his arms and kicked the stallion into motion, his men soon followed. As they left their home, he turned his torso slightly to his left as he called back to his men.

"_**Are you ready guys?**_"

They cheered in response.

Kojuro smiled and Shigezane put his index finger and thumb together as he whistled.

"_**Let's do this! C'mon, to the Village of the Dead!**_"

More cheers and whistles followed as the Date Army galloped towards their destination.

* * *

Megohime leaned back in the bath, letting the hot water wash over her body and ease her worries as she closed her eyes. Relaxing, she slowly exhaled and rested her head against the edge. Everything had begun to move in rapid motion all around her, time itself disappeared in a matter of minutes. Now it seemed only the bathwater remained in place and kept her safe as all Hell broke loose. Amidst the chaos, she could see only one figure approaching her with an outstretched hand and a missing right eye.

Her mind jolted back into reality as Junko swiftly opened the sliding door and kneeled, Megohime raised her head and looked towards her attendant with a questioning expression on her face.

"Bandits, Lady Mego. They are approaching the village from the forest's clearing." She said quietly, resulting in her lady jumping up and out of the bath.

"Come again? Bandits, again?" the red-headed Harionago said through gritted teeth. Strands of her hair danced about her as she struggled to keep her anger in check.

_I hope I can make them laugh, just so I can destroy them all..._

Grabbing her bathing robe, she quickly wrapped it around herself and moved towards her room with Junko following close behind. Tossing the robe aside, Mego walked towards her dressing screen and began to put her clothes on, starting with her undergarments and wrapping the sarashi around her torso.

"Junko, prepare the girls, we've got a battle to attend to." She said, adding armour to her clothing before finally reaching for her sword and small dagger-pistol. Junko nodded and left to alert the others.

Looking herself in the small mirror, Mego then reached for the final accessory – her mask. Holding the cold, porcelain face in her hands she stared back at it with blank eyes. She had grown numb to wearing it over time. Though part of her still wanted to be rid of it forever, she still felt it was necessary to wear it in order to hide her face, a shell to hide the fact she was an unmarried woman playing a grown man's game. Putting her 'shell' over her face, Mego prepared to defend her people.

Mounting her horse, she turned towards her army as they stared back at her to hear her command to move forward. With a wave of her arm and a hard kick into the horse's side, the Harionago of Miharu and her flock left their fortress to annihilate their enemy.

Turning her head to the side to look behind her, Mego yelled out to her girls.

"Girls! Unrivalled Goddesses of Mutsu! Hear my call! What do we stand for?" she cried.

"Revenge!" cried Hisoka, the eldest of Mego's chosen. Her mahogany ponytail swayed in the wind as she lifted one arm in the air.

"Anarchy!" cheered Chieko, her own golden red hair swishing back and forth as she grinned.

"Equality!" yelled Kotone, Chieko's younger sister. Like her sister she had a similar hair colour, though done in a much more flamboyant fashion as hundrends of curls cascaded down her back.

"Freedom!" declared Yori, the youngest of the four and was Mego's prime medic and chef. She clapped her hands in the air as the rest of the army riled up.

"We are Saviours!" The girls yelled in unison, lifting their arms and waving them about. Junko smirked a little while Mego chuckled, kicking her horse into a faster motion.

Their spirits were high as they galloped through the fields, breaking the tranquil silence with their cheers and movements. A typical day for the Harionago and her followers; being alerted for an incoming threat, deal with threat, go home to celebrate, and rest. Wash, rinse, and repeat, all in a day's work, so to speak, and so on. Dealing with mountain bandits was nothing to Megohime and her band of rebels, having gained high status among the vulnerable villagers who seemed constantly threatened.

"_**I live for this...**_" Mego said, a smirk appearing on her masked face as she led her followers to the location of the bandits.

However, things seemed off the closer she got to the bandits' path. There was an ominous chill in the air as the wind picked up. Darkened clouds cast themselves over the once clear sky; thunder began to rumble lowly followed by a brilliant flash of lightning. How quick the storm came made the rebel leader uneasy.

"Something wrong, My Lady?" Junko asked, leaning a bit before picking up on the strange feeling as well. The fair-haired kunoichi then started to survey their surroundings, keeping all senses open.

Megohime slowed her mare to a stop and quickly lifted her left arm to stop the others. Clearly, something just wasn't right. Shifting her mask so she could see a little better, she began to sniff the air.

_Just as I thought... He's here. Just over that hill..._

She turned to Junko and gave the older woman a silent nod. Megohime turned her body more towards her girls, signalling them to keep quiet as they slowly approached what was beyond the hill. And then with a loud cry and her sword raised, she signalled them to descend down the hill towards their enemy.

"_**TO THE DEATH!**_" she cried, kicking her mare into overdrive as she and her followers moved swiftly, hoping to catch their enemies off guard.

As she galloped down the hill, her eyes caught onto a shade of blue, followed by a golden crescent glittering amongst the dark. Her heart stopped as time froze in her mind, making the Harionago stare intently at this creature.

The man turned around, chestnut brown hair tucked underneath a samurai's helmet with a golden crescent perched on top surrounded his face. Everything seemed relatively normal about him except for his missing right eye; the empty socket was covered by a black cloth eye-patch. His remaining left eye - an icy shade of blue with a sharp pupil – stared back at her, widened in shock. Though she couldn't hear him, she could see his mouth move. Slowly, the man mouthed the words.

* * *

"Megohime." Masamune said quietly, watching at the wild, red-haired woman approached him on horseback. Her face covered by that hideous porcelain mask, making the One-Eyed Dragon annoyed.

He turned to face her, then out of the corner of his eye, Kojuro Katakura charged at her in an attempt to knock her off her horse. He watched as Megohime fell off the frightened mare, landing on her back with her mask gradually slipping off from her pale face. It shattered into hundreds of pieces, leaving a faint puff of dust where it broke. He quickly ran in between his Right Eye and her, barely missing the blonde haired woman's attack.

"Don't. _**She's mine**_." Masamune said to Kojuro, who looked at him for a second before nodding. He then moved to block his lord from the kunoichi's wave of attacks. The Lord of Oshu turned back to the rebel leader, who remained on the ground, her body completely tense.

Everything about her seemed to stay the same, minus her rather mature body and the brilliant shade of red hair. It fluttered about her for a moment before it began to become more rigid, ready for attack. The One-Eyed Dragon watched as she pushed herself off from the ground and quickly moved into a fighting position. Her eyes locked onto his, determined to read his movements.

"_**Good to see you.**_" Masamune said as a small smile formed, however Megohime didn't return the gesture.

"_**Took you long enough.**_" She muttered, slowly walking around him while he watched her. Neither of them made a move to attack, only to observe. Their armies fought against each other, though neither man nor woman made the effort to kill the other.

"I take it you got my _love letter_?" Megohime added sarcastically, raising an eyebrow as she continued to walk around him.

He laughed and shook his head, "When did you become so hostile? What happened to the scared little masked girl I knew so long ago? But yes, I did. Mind telling me why there was little water stains on the side? Can't be bothered to send it with better parchment?" he turned to look at her with a smirk and reached out to grab her. She jumped back in retaliation.

"Nitpicky little brat. As always." She snapped back and quickly slapped his hand away from her. He caught it with his other hand and pulled her close to him, causing her army to yell out in anger at his bold move.

"Correction. I'm a man – no, a dragon – who likes things done _his_ way." He replied, moving his face closer to hers.

Mego waved her hand to calm them down and to prevent Junko from attacking. She then pushed herself away from him and gave him an annoyed look. Her left hand unsheathed her sword, the blade still eager to slay its enemies.

"As I said. _**Nitpicky**_." She smirked back at him as he made a 'tsk' sound. She raised her sword at him, now narrowing her eyes and her mouth forming into a frown.

"You didn't come here for idle chitchat, I know that. You came here for your little ninja, correct? Well, as fate would have it, I'm a little busy at the moment Lord Date. Negotiations will have to take place at a later date."

Masamune lightly tapped her sword with one of his six, causing the two to let out a clanging sound. Their soldiers stopped their fighting and watched the pair in silence, Kojuro and Junko stood on either side of their leaders.

"You're here for the bandits too, huh?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. They've been a bit of a problem in these parts. Why are they a concern for you?"

"Just as much of a pain in the ass to me as they are to you, Mego. So why don't you and I form a temporary alliance and then figure things out from there?" he smirked at her, slowly walking towards her while she remained still.

"Fine. Just a simple, leader-to-leader alliance, Lord Date. Nothing more, nothing less for the time being. _**Deal**_?"

"_**Deal**_."

Megohime sheathed her sword and stuck out her right hand to shake, Masamune obliged and took her hand into his. Whether it was his desired element or a sudden change in emotions she wasn't sure, but the Harionago could feel a sudden jolt go through her as her hand locked with his. She forced herself to stay calm and keep things professional. Straight-faced and giving off no signs was something she perfected, despite staring back at the One-Eyed Dragon's smirking face.

With a nod, both leaders turned and walked over to their horses, cantered them to the centre of the two armies and with raised arms both announced the hasty alliance.

"_**Alright guys!**_ We've agreed to form an alliance, for the sake of taking out those damn bandits! Protect and work with them!" Masamune yelled. Some of the men cheered while a few like Yoshinao glared daggers at the girls.

"Girls! Take this alliance with care, for we have now become a part of the Date for this short amount of time. Try not to scuff them up too much, their leader will have my hide for clothing ... _**If he could catch me**_." Megohime said with a grin as her girls laughed and cheered. Hisoka gave Yoshinao a cocky grin before turning to the rest of her fellow females.

Masamune smirked at her, "_**If I could catch you**_? Mego, I don't plan on turning you into clothing, but I wouldn't mind taking you _out_ of your clothing." He reached over to gently brush his hand against her leg, Megohime quickly batted it away.

"I'm unmarried. You're married, committed, whichever. The past is the past, and soon this will be a part of the past." She said with annoyance, though part of her voice cracked in-between. The Lord of Oshu couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong with his newest companion. He motioned himself to speak when she raised her hand to silence him, she looked at him with a faint, reassuring smile.

"_**We'll talk later**_." Was all she said before nudging her mare into motion, Masamune followed as their armies did the same.

Though the alliance seemed like a good idea, a part of him made the One-Eyed Dragon wonder if he was only hurting the Harionago more after having been separated for some time. Soon enough, he could see a trickle of blood stream down her face before she wiped it away. It occurred to him that she wasn't injured, but somewhere along the grapevine of rumours he heard that demons cry blood. He felt a stinging pain of concern in his chest but brushed it aside.

_We'll talk later..._ she said.

_Yeah, we will._ He thought now turning his focus on the task at hand – Mountain Bandits.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone, sorry that I've been in radio silence. A lot of stuff happened over the summer holidays with regards to moving cities and I'm currently battling my way through college! So updating has been pretty scarce since lol. I'm hoping I can get more written soon, but we'll see how my workload goes. Enjoy what's here, and next up will involve battling bandits, negotiations and possible steamy goodness :)


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